Tuesday, February 17, 2015

In later years, this singular set would leave a new generation of classic rock fans scratching their heads. Just what were so many superstars doing backing this unknown singer? However, in 1970, Colin Scot was at least as famous as any of those now legendary names that guested on this his debut solo album, with the singer/songwriter regularly packing the house for his frequent live shows.

Of course, those gigs brought Scot into the orbits of a host of other folk-tinged groups from the day, but it seems to have been producer John Anthony who brought most of this crew together. This included Brinsley Schwarz of the eponymous band, Genesis' Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins, Van Der Graaf Generator's Peter Hammill and David Jackson, King Crimson's Robert Fripp, then-Strawbs' organist Rick Wakeman, and his future bandmate Yes frontman Jon Anderson (the pair met at these sessions), and the list goes on and on.

Considering all the talent and egos in the studio, producer Anthony must have run an extremely tight ship, for he never allows any of the virtuosos to get in Scot's way or their excesses to overwhelm his songs. Nevertheless, the musicians left their marks, be it the shimmering guitars on "Do the Dance Now, Davey" that foreshadow the ones that strew glitter across Genesis' "The Music Box," or the quintessential Fripp chords that empower "Here We Are in Progress." "The Boatman" is buffeted by gusting wind, lapping waves, and exquisite guitar work, "Lead Us" sweeps listeners along with a choir of singers, while "Hey! Sandy," features some of the angriest acoustic guitars one's ever likely to encounter.

All four of those songs were well-chosen covers, while the country-tinged "My Rain," the brooding "Take Me Away," and the psychedelic laced "Nite People" showcased the strength of Scot's own pen. The finished album was handed to United Artists, at the time, a relatively new and adventurous label, and upon release sold respectably in its day, but has cried out for reissue since. Boosted by a quartet of alternate takes of album tracks, the return of Colin Scot will be welcomed by prog and folk fans around the world.

Track 11 cuts off short at 4:22, which is really a bummer cause it's a rockin' song. At least it does on the Mp3 dl. Unless this is just the way it is, would you please fix? Great album, otherwise, and thanks for the share!

@Alan- I read that review, but if you listen to the track, that does not seem to be the case. There is still 3-5 seconds of dead air after the cut. No other review I could find mentioned the cut song. Cheers

@Marios - You're so kind. Thank you. Just for grins I went to that Russian Mp3 site and dl'ed track 11. It turned out to be a vinyl rip, and much to my amazement, it had the same cut at the same place! I don't know what to think now. Maybe, the song is really meant to sound that way. Weird. I'm just glad to be able to hear this fine music! Keep up the fantastic and selfless work you do here in sharing all this wonderful music. Cheers!

Yes, it was deliberately left cut. (My leaky memory thinks that it was initially an accident but that everyone decided to like the outcome?) Is there any sign of good quality copies of his other albums (Just another clown & Out of the blue)? Imho these are even better...

Thanks for this and some other great posts! [Looking forward to the remaster of Plays On by Climax Blues... one of the greatest albums of all time (again, imho...)]